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Nicki Minaj's 'Right Thru Me' Producer Drew Money Says She's 'Hot'

Posted 10/26/10 7:00 am EST by in Music News

Not only is Nicki Minaj our #6 Hottest MC in the Game for 2010, she's also got a new video for her single "Right Thru Me" on the way. *screams* After we checked in with Drake up top on why Nicki deserves her slot on Hottest MCs, we spoke to Drew Money, the producer behind her hit single, "Right Thru Me."

"She was working in L.A. and I work in Miami, with our busy schedules it's kinda hard to be in the studio together," admitted Drew Money as he explained that the track came together via email. "Basically, I just wanted to make something for her that was pop but still rap and a fusion of everything. That's kinda how my sound is, it's a fusion of rock and pop, with the guitars, and with the synthesizers and the 808s, that's a good sound for her."

Drew, who also worked on "Hello Brooklyn" for Jay-Z, says that he wasn't a huge Barbie fan before "Right Thru Me" but game recognizes game.

"I'm just a fan of music in general and Nicki is really hot right and I want to work with the best artist out there right now and she's definitely one of them," says Drew. Read More...

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Kanye West Says 'Runaway' Colors Aren't 'Racially Charged'

Posted 10/25/10 6:45 pm EST by in Music News

On Saturday night (October 23), Kanye West sat down with our own Sway and answered questions from you, the fans, via Twitter following the television premiere of his "Runaway" film.

One fan, @CrazyJoyC, tweeted and asked "Every scene has a different color, what's the significance and how did you choose the color for each scene?"

The MC replied in much more detail than CrazyJoyC no doubt expected.

"Colors are really important to me," said Kanye West, as he twisted his pinky ring. "I remember I used to get cyber bullied for knowing the word mauve or taupe or salmon which are some of my favorite colors, the off tones. Red probably is my absolute color but as you see, the teals and the grays, and the creams and the off whites, the way all of these balance with each other or just even the set-up of the table [scene].

"I want to approach this. Because this is America and it came from slavery, there's a lot of things that people think are racially charged when they're not at all," he continued. "They're completely based off of color palettes. Vanessa Beecroft, the art director who's a white woman by the way, art directed the entire dinner scene. See, that's whats so funny to me. That's what makes it so funny, you're just smiling in America's face like 'Hey, I didn't even design that right there.' Read More...

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Kanye Talks Favorite 'Runaway' Scene

Posted 10/25/10 2:10 pm EST by in Music News

Kanye West showed more bravery than most MCs possess — or can afford — by premiering his 35 minute film "Runaway" last Saturday (October 23). After airing the avant garde piece concurrently on MTV, MTV2, BET and MTV.com, we hosted an exclusive Q&A with the MC where he answered Twitter questions from you, the fans.

Sway kicked off the interview by asking the MC about his favorite clip in "Runaway."

"My single favorite scene I think is when the ballerinas just go still," Kanye West told Sway. "And that crane shot just goes above them, and all these like crazy angles and how long they have to just hold. It's like difficult for them to hold those positions like that." Read More...

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Kanye West, Gza And Cyhi Da Prince Rock Fool's Gold Anniversary

Posted 10/25/10 12:05 pm EST by in Music News

"Let's have a toast for the ..." Yes, it's Monday and it's still Kanye West at every turn. He told you he wanted to be the greatest rapper of all time and on Sunday morning (October 24) Ye made a run for the title with a surprise performance at the third anniversary party for Fool's Gold records at New York's Brooklyn Bowl. West's DJ A-Trak and DJ Nick Catchdubs run the boutique label that houses acts like Kid Sister and Treasure Fingers among others. Click the image above for a photo gallery of Kanye's performance!

Before 'Ye surprised the crowd in the wee hours, The Suzan and rapper Donnis rocked the crowd as well. Since we were in the house, here's a rundown of tweets by yours truly.

2:12 AM @atrak present & now @cyhidaprince is about to perform...

2:15 AM Think I like ya'll boy @cyhidaprince

2:19 AM 'Heroes eventually die'... never mad at an MC quoting Outkast #pass for @cyhidaprince

2:25 AM "I got a lot of treats for ya'll ..." says @cyhidaprince on the music he's got coming soon. Do I smell at @djholiday mixtape? Read More...

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Fans React to 2010 Hottest MCs In The Game List

Posted 10/24/10 3:41 pm EST by in Hottest Mcs in the Game 2010

Let's have a toast ... it's all over. The MTV News Brain Trust fought long and hard over the order of the Hottest MCs in the Game list. We left you Friday (October 22) with Nicki Minaj as the #6 MC and we've just premiered our remaining rappers on MTV2. Were you watching?

Some of us got all of our MCs included on the ultimate round up, others not so much, but we all agree on the final product. So here's the final Hottest MCs in the Game list of 2010 in descending order: #10 Ludacris, #9 B.o.B, #8 Waka Flocka Flame, #7 Lil Wayne, #6 Nicki Minaj, #5 Rick Ross, #4 Drake, #3 Kanye West, #2 Jay-Z and #1 Eminem.

So what are the streets saying? We checked our @MTVRapFix account and searched the #hottestmcs hashtag on Twitter to see what fans, like you, had to say about our list. *ducks the impending flying fruit*

"Sorry ya'll but MTV got it right ... Kanye shouldve been # 1 though #hottestmcs," said @Leksyy. Read More...

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Kanye West 'Runaway' Interview Excerpts + Photos

Posted 10/23/10 10:45 pm EST by in Music News

Did you catch everything that Kanye West said during his sit down interview with Sway on MTV? Well, hopefully you watched both the premiere of Ye's film "Runaway" on here on RapFix and then kept watching the MC open up to Sway about ... well, everything. We're also giving you a flipbook of photos from the interview too!

Following a brief televised chat directly after the premiere of Kanye's "Runaway," the MC felt comfortable enough to continue the conversation with our own Sway here at RapFix. Kinda like RapFix Live on steroids right? We fancy, huh ... Anyway, here are a few snippets from the interview where Kanye answered questions tweeted by you, the fans, with the hastag #askkanye. We're trending ya'll!

From the man Kanye West himself, here are the highlights:

"Me thinking twice about what people's reaction will be is me selling my soul to the devil."

"I was very proud of the sonics, just bringing it back to a Quincy Jones level," of the music on "Runaway."

"I needed to be away from the prying cameras in LA," on why he journeys to Hawaii to record.

"God held me through this dark period," on his losing his grandparents and mother.

"I deal with bullying as a celebrity all the time," on contemplating suicide and the contemporary wave of cyberbullying. Read More...

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Live Blog: Kanye West's 'Runaway'

Posted 10/23/10 8:12 pm EST by in Live Blog

Are you ready? We're locked in to MTV for the premiere of Kanye West's "Runaway" film. Yes, we've already seen it but is there ever really too much unbridled creativity, combining cinematic beauty with pure hip-hop? Exactly.

"Runaway" is premiering right now on MTV, MTV2 and BET, as well as streaming live on MTV.com, BET.com and VH1.com. The film will be followed by a live Q&A session with West on MTV and MTV.com.

We checked in with Swizz Beatz on his take of "Runaway" and here's what he said.

"On a 1 to 10, it was a 9," said Swizz, before defending his ruling. "The reason why it was a 9 was because it should've been longer. It was a deep, deep story and you have to, one, know Kanye, to really understand it."

"Runaway" follows 'Ye after he rescues a phoenix, played by the lovely Selita Ebanks, and tries to integrate the bird into his human world with varying results.

For Swizz, whether critics applaud or pan the piece, Kanye is the victor.

"We're all in here watching him live his dream, so that means he won," he said.

Here we go.

Are you ready for @kanyewest's 'Runaway' premiere? We are. Turn to MTV right now for Ye's cinematic debut!

Just listened to @nickiminaj narrate the intro to @Kanyewest's 'Runaway'... you tuned into MTV?

"First rule in this world baby, don't pay attention to anything you see in the news" -- @Kanyewest in 'Runaway' Read More...

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Experts React to Nicki Minaj As #6 Hottest MC In The Game

Posted 10/22/10 3:15 pm EST by in Hottest Mcs in the Game 2010

Thank God it's Friday and thank God for our #6 Hottest MC in the Game, Miss Nicki Minaj. The Queens, NY native is the first female to make the list in the history of MTV's Brain Trust.

Charming the host of "Late Night With David Letterman" and hardened rap fans who frown at lady MCs is all in a day's work for the Nickster. And it doesn't hurt that she's also "hotter than a middle eastern climate," but ultimately the girl is vicious on the mic and leaves listeners amazed by her ability to steal the show no matter her co-stars, including Kanye, Drake and Ludacris.

We checked in with the experts to see how our decisions resonated in the streets.

"Number six? I demand a recount! Whether you like her or not, Nicki's one of the most popular artists right now," says Brian "B.Dot" Miller, RapRadar's Content Manager. "Let's look at the facts: She's had 10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this year, a standout verse on "Monster" and even kicked off the VMAs. Does the Brain Trust needs to visit the neurologist?!"

And speaking of those rap fans that aren't so into barbies—or women rhyming period—even they're praising Nicki Minaj's presence on the mic. Read More...

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Vado Talks Cam'ron, Huddy 6's Funeral Parade

Posted 10/22/10 7:00 am EST by in Music News

Last week, hip-hop lost rapper Huddy 6 to a car accident in New York. On October 18, his fans and friends celebrated his life on the streets of Harlem. RapFix spoke to uptown MC Vado about the public's display of emotion and support for the late rapper.

“It was a parade. I definitely went to the wake and he had a parade after the funeral and everyone came to the block," said Vado of Huddy's homegoing. "Ray Benzino was there, Cam was there. I don’t do funerals."

Vado admits he's not partial to funeral services.

“I didn’t do my father’s or my family’s, I haven’t done a funeral since my grandparents when I was little," said Vado. “My father passed about five years ago.”

As for Cam'ron, who was close friends with Huddy from their childhood years in Harlem, Vado says the Dip Set captain is mending. Read More...

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Nicki Minaj Talks Tour With Nylon

Posted 10/21/10 3:00 pm EST by in Music News

Few rappers are as fashionable as Nicki Minaj and the rapstress has the Giuseppe Zanotti's to prove it. During a photoshoot with fashion magazine Nylon, Ms. Lewinsky talked about her upcoming tour and what she really can't do without.

"Right now, I'm super excited about going on tour at the end of the year," said Nicki Minaj, sporting a new asymmetrical ‘do. "I can't speak too much about it but I know that I will be going on tour to promote Pink Friday and I'm going to get to see all of the people I've neglected for the last few months because I was working on the album and I couldn't really do shows. But I'm looking forward to just going on the road, from city-to-city, country-to-country, all over the world and just having a blast."

She also described what she couldn't survive without—and it wasn't her studio time.

"I can not live without makeup wipes," admitted Nicki. "I hate the makeup staying on my face for too long. As soon as I get back to the hotel, it all comes off."

Nearing the end of 2010 where the femcee was almost ubiquitous, charting on Billboard with her own tracks as well as guest spots alongside folks like Ludacris, Yo Gotti, Sean Kingston and Trey Songz, she's definitely woman of the year. And what ethos is the Queens native by way of Trinidad ushering in?

"I would describe my personal style as hip-hop pop chic," the Nickster said.

Are you looking forward to Nicki Minaj's tour this fall? Tweet us at @MTVRapFix or tell us in a comment below!

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